It rained on a Thursday in Ecuador. We visited a small orphanage. Thirty children, ranging from infants to teens, gathered in a small room, ready to receive our students from DCA. A leader with a commanding voice steps to the front to share his gratitude for our group’s presence.
We sat in wooden chairs as the rain tapped on the concrete windowsills behind us. We had gifts, but none compared to the one we were given while there.
This gift is often overlooked or looked down upon. It can come in small packages, large packages, or no package at all. It’s more than an emotion. It’s more than a feeling.
It can be found behind the sadness of a teenage girl’s eyes. It can be found in the cry of a toddler who hasn’t had enough sleep, but it is especially found in the laugh of a child.
We weren’t prepared for the gift. Who could have been?
Did I mention that we brought gifts?
My wife holds a baby girl. She holds back something much heavier. Sometimes tears come as a result of the gift we were given. Not tears of sadness nor of despair. They come because we have a Spirit inside of us who compels us to love, and love is often displayed by tears.
I met a young man, maybe four/five years old, over by the dance area. His name? León. Not sure if his name carries the meaning, I shouted, “You’re a LION.”
He roared, a loud but very child-like roar. Reminded me of Simba trying to find his roar.
He had two magnets and was ready to show me a trick. One magnet on the top of the hand, the other on the bottom. Then came the trick. They didn’t fall from his hands as he rotated them. Very Cool! Then the finale. He could make them flip. Awesome!
It rained on Thursday, but we didn’t have to wait till morning for the gift, as the Bible teaches. It came immediately.
What was the gift?
JOY!
It rained on a Thursday
At a place of no rest
But a Lion with a magnet
Did tricks for his guests.
It rained on a Thursday
We all look to the floor
Just a cub with no mane
But he had a ROAR!
Thank you León!